CompTIA Newsroom

Washington D.C. –The Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the leading trade association for the global information technology industry, announced today that it has signed a new agreement to promote closer space relationships between the United States and Colombia and an improved environment for bilateral trade and investment in space-related goods and services between the two countries.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by CompTIA and La Asociación Colombiana de Productores Aeroespaciales (ACOPAER), which was established specifically to support space enterprise ventures for both public and private entities in Colombia.

“We see in this agreement a possibility for Colombian aerospace development, and the opportunity for Colombian and American professionals to carry out joint work of mutual benefits” said Eleuterio Sánchez, president of Asociación Colombiana de Productores Aeroespaciales.

“This agreement strengthens the relationship between the governments of the United States and Colombia and space businesses within each nation,” said David Logsdon, Senior Director, Public Sector, and Executive Director of the Space Enterprise Council (SEC). “CompTIA looks forward to building strong and productive partnerships between private companies in the U.S. and Colombia as the commercial space industry continues to grow and expand in South America.”

The agreement focuses on four primary areas:

• Developing strategies for advocating a U.S.-Colombia space partnership in their respective administrations and Congresses.
• Coordinating on advocacy strategy and activities to share information, pool ideas, ensure consistency of messaging, and non-duplication of efforts.
• Producing joint letters with policy recommendations for both governments.
• Organizing and hosting trade missions and other meetings so that companies and government officials from each nation can learn each other’s capabilities and positions while exploring business opportunities.

Future collaboration between the two groups may include joint policy papers, industry days, and facilitating space cooperation coordination between companies and government agencies from both nations, Logsdon said.

The SEC was founded in 2000 to represent businesses with a commercial interest in space. Throughout the years, the council has grown to represent all sectors of the industry including commercial, civil and national security space. As a forum for space-related companies, the council brings the collective power of its affiliation with CompTIA and its diverse members into a single, unified voice that is used in advocating member interests to policymakers.

For more information on participating in a CompTIA’s Space Enterprise Council, contact: David Logsdon at dlogsdon@comptia.org.